monday musings

Happy Monday, Bunnies! How was your weekend? Ours was spent decluttering and reorganizing our closets and storage areas. It was a quiet break from the past two weekends of catching up with friends over decadent food and bottles of wine way past the kiddos' bedtimes. But just the same, I felt like the days went by so fast.

I wonder, do you bring your kids with you when you get together with your friends? We've never ever tried leaving the little guy with a babysitter so we always bring him with us wherever we go. To some degree I feel like an irresponsible parent when we lay him down to sleep on the floor (on a blanket, of course) during our late-night soirees but then again we need to socialize and have stimulating conversation with other adults once in a while. I just tell myself that the pros of having some semblance of our pre-parenthood life outweighs whatever discomfort the little guy may be feeling. If anything, it will probably make him a well-adjusted kid in the long run.

spring colors

 gastrochic

Spring doesn't officially start until March 20 but it already feels like it here in our part of the world. I just love that we can finally take walks outside again without being uncomfortably cold. We even visited the zoo this weekend and had an outdoor lunch picnic to celebrate the warm-er weather.

Speaking of celebrating spring, don't you just love these bright-colored outfits? I never thought of mixing pink and yellow until today. And I'm totally lusting over her yellow jacket! I want!

sun, sand & surf

In case you were wondering why I've been awfully silent lately, it was because we went home to Manila for a much awaited reunion with our families. Of course, no vacation in the Philippines is complete without a visit to the beach. On our first week in the homeland, we headed straight to Boracay for a 5-day getaway. It was a warm welcome to feel the sun on my skin again after months of being bundled up in winterwear. But it was the little guy who really had a blast! As soon as we got to our resort, he ran to the beach, picked up a handful of sand and jumped in the water. He was fearless. I had to keep reminding myself it was okay to be spontaneous, we were on holiday.

5 days in Boracay was not enough even if all we did was swim, lounge and eat. We didn't even have time to do any of the touristy stuff like hop from island to island, snorkle, sail or ride the flyfish. Speaking of tourist-traps, can I just say, the fruit shakes from Jonah's are highly overrated. A fruit shake is a fruit shake. You can get the same fruit shake from other establishments like Jony's (just a few doors down from Jonah's) for a few pesos less. And one more thing about the shakes - I know Philippine mangoes are sweet but not that sweet. The shakes are laced with so much sugar so I always request mine prepared with only half recipe of the syrup.

If you've never been to Boracay, you definitely must go at least once to experience the powdery white sands and the clear waters. If you're looking to stay in Station 1, Sur is a great boutique resort to try. It's located right beside Two Seasons but rooms are a fraction of the cost. The staff are friendly and rooms are clean and comfortable. Even the food was unexpectedly good.

bike rides and wine tasting

My brother recently visited and spent two full weekends with us. Since he has already been here a couple of times before, we looked for new activities to do and new place to visit with him apart from the customary shopping. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there's so much more we haven't done and seen in the Twin Cities.

On his first weekend, we toured downtown Minneapolis on bicyles. I had a vision of myself wearing a dress while riding a vintage bicycle with the streamers hanging from the handlebars. But NO, I didn't wear a dress and we rode the Nice Ride rental bikes instead. I had dressed appropriately knowing that I haven't been on a bike for more than 15 years. You know,there is some truth in the saying "it's just like riding a bike". You really never forget how to do it. It did take me a while to get used to getting on and off the bike again without fumbling but I managed to get around and I actually quite enjoyed the experience. Now I understand why there are so many people who look forward to riding their bikes during the weekends.

Nice Ride Bike Station

The next Saturday, we visited the Alexis Bailly Vineyard in Hastings, MN for some wine tasting. I am no expert when it comes to wine but I would say most of their wines are on the sweet side which is why I really enjoyed all the bottles we tasted. The most memorable for me was the Bailly's Reserve Chocolate Port. It was bold, sweet and sexy all at the same time. We brought the little man with us too. He played with the resident dog while we sipped our wine. You could say we all had a great time.

simple joys

Hello, bunnies! I realize I have been neglectful of my blog lately. Needless to say, some updating is in order.

Well, the inevitable birthday came up two weeks ago. My boys gave me the priceless gift of having a full day of ME-time which I spent getting pampered. As if that wasn't enough, mother nature also gave me the gift of a glorious summer day in October so we were able to enjoy the rest of the evening with a picnic at the park. 



birthday picnic with my two favorite people

A few days later, the Mister and I celebrated our 5th year anniversary as a married couple. Five years may not seem like a long time but if you add up all the years we've been together, it's more than half of my lifetime. He has been a part of my life for so long I couldn't even imagine how I would've turned out if I had not met him. Everyday I thank God for blessing me with a friend and a husband who continues to inspire me to be better. 

during a shcool project 17 years ago

the night we got engaged, june 2006

5 years later and still happily married

On a lighter note, the leaves have now litterally fallen and Bud was so excited just watching them being blown by the wind. We spend our afternoons playing with the leaves, kicking and squishing and throwing them up in the air. It's amazing how having a child has given me a new appreciation for such simple things.

fall in the city

 I hope all is well in your part of the world. Thanks for stopping by.

a day at the fair

My mother-in-law arrived last weekend and we gave a her a hearty Minnesota welcome by bringing her to the State Fair. And what else is there to do in a State Fair than to eat, eat and eat. We binged on hotdog subs, corndogs, cheese curds, frozen custart and roasted corn. I also treated myself to a stick of fried Snicker bar and a cone of Sweet Martha's cookies. I was so tempted to buy a bucket of cookies but I remembered I will be running a half marathon on Saturday and didn't want to have a food coma before the race.

How was your Labor Day weekend?

Fried Snicker Bar

Sweet Martha's chocolate chip cookies

frozen custard

p.s. Last year's Texas State Fair here

weekend roundup

You are now looking at the winner of the 30-39yo female category of the 2011 10k Superhero Run in St. Paul last Saturday. In case you still don't recognize me, I'm the one on the right with the white cap. The other pretty lady is my running buddy, Minet. But just to set things straight, there were only 6 females in my age group and we were all amateurs running to stop child abuse in Minnesota. You know what else, there were only 23 of us who ran the 10k and I was the 11th person to finish at 55 minutes and 24 seconds. It was really all for fun so I hope you don't think I'm bragging. Well maybe a little.

But seriously, I felt really good that I finished faster than I expected. My time to beat was 58 minutes which is the Mister's time when he ran 10k in Manila 2 years ago. I guess all the running I did in 100 degree temperature with a jogging stroller paid off. Now the question is, am I ready for a half marathon by September? We'll see.

Speaking of marathons, the Mister and I did a 3-movie marathon Saturday evening. We found a drive-in theater that showed 3 movies for only $8/head. We figured that would be the best way for us to catch up on summer flicks. The conditions were ideal - it was late enough and dark enough so the little boy fell asleep on his carseat while we enjoyed our movies and stuffed ourselves with hotdogs, nachos, popcorn and chocolates.

Hope you were able to spend your weekend doing something that you're passionate about.

strawberry picking

There are so many reasons why I love summer. Aside from being able to wear bright colors and short dresses, we also get to do a lot of enjoyable activties outdoors.

Last week we went to Apple Jack Orchards to pick red ripe strawberries. Freshly picked strawberries are so sweet and succulent. I can't even begin to describe how good it is - each bite is like a piece of heaven. I really regret going on the last week of the picking season though. Now that our harvest is finished, there's no chance to go back and pick more.




How has your summer been so far?

weekend roundup

I didn't realize how much we've accomplished in a day until I started uploading the photos for this post. To say that our Saturday was eventful would be an understatement.

The Mister finished his first Sprint Triathlon in the morning which comprised of a .55km open-water swim, 25km bike ride and a 5km run...whew!

All the Mister's training for the traithlon has rubbed off on me. I'm planning to run a half marathon by September so I've been training as well. Saturday proved to be a milestone for me too as I had exceeded my 10km record and ran 13km. I have a month more to build the endurance to run 8kms farther.

After sweating buckets, I changed to my dress and met my girlfriends for an early dinner. We dined al fresco to take advantage of the short and sweet Minnesota summer and talked about our favorite blogs, recent clothing purchases, latest restaurant discoveries, etc... Just being able to share the most mundane thoughts with friends brings me such thrill. I'm lucky to have two very encouraging friends who share my enthusiasm for blogging (and shopping). If you want to know what I mean, visit Grace and Faye to follow their love affair with food and fashion.

Thanks to the photography skills of my good friend and fellow blogger, Faye, we still looked fresh in the pictures despite the unforgiving heat and humidity.

It was supposed to be a night out with the girls but someone tagged along..... The truth was the Mister used the triathlon as an excuse to avoid daddy-daycare duties.

After leaving the restaurant, we continued the girl chat, this time with the hubbies and the kids, at our friend's house. We found ourselves drinking martinis and singing oldies but goodies tunes until midnight.

Hope your weekend was spent doing what you love with people who inspire!

4th of July weekend

Great company + BBQ + bottles of bubbly = limbo rock and Chinese garter showdown!


In case you were wondering, I wore the white tank with my cobalt skirt to the party.

weekend roundup

How was your weekend, bunnies?

Last Saturday, the boys and I took a chance and headed over to 5-8 Club, home of the original Juicy Lucy, Minnesota's version of the ultimate cheese burger. A 1/2 pound burger with the cheese inside the beef patty. It's obscenely good it was even featured in Travel Channel's Man vs. Food. We were lucky we got there just in time to get a table before the line at the door started. By the time we were done, the line was like 30 people deep. In case you were wondering, yes, I did finish my Juicy Lucy! I surprised even myself!

We celebrated father's day at the Stone Arch Art Festival in Minneapolis along with the hipsters and the hippies. The riverfront district was brimming with life with over 250 featured artists and artisans, non-stop live musical performances and a smorgasbord of food stalls. It had all the ingredients for creating a memorable family outing.

I would say our weekend was just perfect.

photos courtesy of dressedtoat

memorial day

The weather has been very pleasant this week and we were able to spend memorial day at our favorite Lake Harriet basking in the sun and enjoying the cool breeze (while eating ice cream). While the grandparents were enjoying our little picnic, the little man was befriending and petting all the dogs in the park.

While we were walking around, the little boss spotted the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line and wanted to get on board so we all ended up riding the historic trolley. Not bad for $2 per head. Bud thought he was on a Thomas train.

After an afternoon of ice cream and trolley rides, we capped off the day with a meat-feast at home. The mister was all too happy to grill and spend the rest of the night outdoor.

ice cream & pennies

I'm still hung over from all the smiles and cheer from the weekend. The little boy's laughter was very intoxicating. And it didn't really take much to make him happy.

On Saturday we brought him to the Family Fun Day activity at Como Park to see his favorite PBS Kids characters.

Como Park is a zoo and conservatory in the middle of the city dedicated to inspire appreciation for nature and all living things. The best thing about it is admission is free! So while we were there, we also visited the Giraffe, Gorillas, Sea Lions, Flaminngos, Lions, Tiger and Leopard.

The highlight of the afternoon was ice cream and hotdogs.

It's hard to imagine that as soon as we got home from that glorious little outing, we were greeted with a tornado warning. Thankfully, we were spared.

On Sunday, as soon as the rain clouds disappeared and the sun came out, we went to the Lyndale Park Rose Garden for a stroll and to throw some pennies in the fountain. I wished for all our days to be as simple and blissful as that weekend.

I wonder if Bud will remember these times as fondly as I do?

chug-a-chug-a-choo-choo

Hooray, the weekend is here once again! The days went by so quick I didn't even have the chance to tell you about our trip to the Twin City Model Train Museum last weekend.

We thought a visit to the train museum would be a great activity for Bud since he's really into trains these days. Sure enough, he had a blast and a half!

The musuem houses an elaborate scaled model panorama of the Twin Cities railroad from the 1930s to the 1950s which were built by volunteer hobbyists and train enthusiasts. There's also a Toy Train Division where kids and kids-at-heart could tinker and operate the different model layouts.

Equisitely detailed scaled model of the Twin Cities historical railroad

Toy Train Division offers lots of activities for kids and parents

If you're ever thinking of visiting the Twin Cities, the Twin City Model Railroad Museum is a great activity for the family.

What do you have planned for this weekend, Bunnies?